MCG holds no fears for Swans - Longmire

Sports Writer

Well held ... Richmond's Trent Cotchin grabs Jude Bolton in Sydney's loss to the Tigers at the MCG in May. Photo: Sebastian Costanzo

SYDNEY overcame a six-year hoodoo last week just to make the grand final and now they must exorcise another demon if they are to claim this year's premiership.

The Swans have won just one of their past 15 matches at the MCG and have not tasted success at the fabled ground since round 19, 2009.

Under coach John Longmire, they have managed only a draw, against lowly Melbourne last year, from four games. A year ago they were bundled out of the premiership race with a six-goal humbling by this week's opponent Hawthorn and earlier this year they emerged 29-point losers to Richmond after a dismal first half in which they managed just two goals.

That defeat came before the Swans unleashed a nine-game winning streak that set up their push to the finals. A longer and wider ground than the SCG, the MCG's larger expanses have in recent years held problems for a Sydney team which has lacked pace, though the rise of Lewis Jetta this season has helped them address the issue.

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Longmire yesterday dismissed the club's recent record at the MCG as a statistical anomaly that will have no relevance on the outcome of Saturday's decider.

''Whether it's the MCG or any ground, we've played all over the country this year and most of the states, they're all different sized grounds,'' Longmire said.

''Nothing changes in regards to what you do to win footy games at any ground - and that's playing a hard, quality contested brand of footy, and that's what we'll try and do this week. We'll let others talk about stats that

they think matter and we'll worry about what's in front of us.''

The Swans will start the clear underdogs against the Hawks but have every reason to feel confident of causing an upset. They defeated Alastair Clarkson's men in round five and four weeks ago led with two minutes remaining only to be overrun in the dying stages. Sydney had led by as much as 38 points in the second quarter but a scintillating three-goal burst by Lance Franklin, coming back from a seven-week break, changed the game dramatically.

Franklin has managed 15 goals from four games since his injury but is yet to kick a massive bag. That could happen this week if the Swans fail to shut down Hawthorn's army of silky-skilled left-footers in the midfield.

''You have to make sure he doesn't get quality supply - that's one of the better ways,'' Longmire said. ''When he's up and going he's one of the most damaging players going around, so you have to make sure you have a team defence mentality and apply pressure on the ball when they get it. It's pretty simple. Whether you can execute it is the challenge.''

Fortunately for the Swans, the man most likely to be asked to quell Franklin, Ted Richards, is expected to play despite hurting his ankle in the preliminary final.

''I spoke to him yesterday and he was confident he'll be right this week,'' Longmire said. ''The medical boys haven't let me know anything else. I expect him to be fine.''

That leaves midfielder Ben McGlynn as the club's main injury concern. The former Hawk, who strained his hamstring against Adelaide just over a fortnight ago, must step up his training regimen tomorrow and survive a session on Thursday if he is to prove his fitness to the Swans' hierarchy.

''It'll be one step at a time for Benny,'' Longmire said. ''His program has got to go up this week. It was building up at the end of last week and it'll have to go up another couple of steps this week.''

Emotion will play no part in selection, Longmire said. ''You've got to make sure you're clinical in what you need to do to give the team the best chance. He needs to be able to train fully on Thursday.''

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